You request our opinion regarding the construction of the
phrase "full amount of a person's salary" as used in subsection
143.045(c) of the Local Government Code. That statute provides:

(c) Except as otherwise provided by Section 143.116, a fire
fighter or police officer who leaves the classified service for
any reason is entitled to receive in a lump-sum payment the full
amount of the person's salary for accumulated sick leave if the
person has accumulated not more than 90 days of sick leave. If a
fire fighter or police officer has accumulated more than 90
working days of sick leave, the person's employer may limit
payment to the amount that the person would have received if the
person had been allowed to use 90 days of accumulated sick leave
during the last six months of employment. The lump-sum payment
is computed by compensating the fire fighter or police officer
for the accumulated time at the highest permanent pay
classification for which the person was eligible during the last
six months of employment. The fire fighter or police officer is
paid for the same period for which the person would have been
paid if the person had taken the sick leave but does not include
additional holidays and any sick leave or vacation time that the
person might have accrued during the 90 days.

Subsection 143.041(c) declares:

(c) In addition to the base salary, each fire fighter or
police officer is entitled to each of the following types of pay,
if applicable:

(1) longevity or seniority pay;

(2) educational incentive pay as authorized by Section
143.044;

(3) assignment pay as authorized by Section 143.042 and
143.043;

(4) certification pay as authorized by Section 143.044; and

(5) shift differential pay as authorized by Section 143.047.

Subsection 143.045(c) makes clear that the lump-sum payment
must be equivalent to the pay the individual would have received
"if the person had taken the sick leave," but it specifically
excludes "additional holidays and any sick leave or vacation
time" that he might have accrued during the maximum 90-day
period. If the individual would have received all those
additional payments listed in subsection 143.041(c) if he had
actually taken off for sick leave, he must be compensated for
them when he leaves the classified service pursuant to subsection
143.045(c) and receives a lump-sum payment.

Thus, in answer to your question, a city may not meet its
obligation under subsection 143.045(c) by providing a firefighter
with a lump-sum payment which represents the person's base salary
only.